Chapter 109
Since the tortoise shell had just been burned and was still hot, Si Yanmo couldn't take it out to show him. She could only pray that he would come down to check it himself because of the divine oracle.
The Southern Emperor shook his head. He always cared about divine pronouncements, but at this moment he said, "There's nothing to see. Since the oracle is still ill, let's talk about it another day."
Si Yanmo and Zhou Yanqing were both taken aback. They had calculated that the Southern Emperor would be curious about the divine oracle, so they used this ritual as a plan to expose Chen Tingyu's true colors.
He even had Zhao Wan secretly replace Chen Tingyu's tortoise shell, but unexpectedly, Chen Tingyu said he wouldn't look at it anymore.
This is an ancient divine decree!
Si Yanmo had no choice but to step forward, "Since Lord Xiangbu failed, why don't I give it a try?"
As long as the Southern Emperor lets her try, she can switch the goods again. At worst, she can stage a scene of being possessed by a deity and reveal Chen Tingyu's crimes.
The Southern Emperor refused again, saying, "No need. Even Chen Xiangbu couldn't accomplish this, so what can Mo Wubu do? Let's talk about it another day."
Without giving anyone a chance, he ordered Yu Siguan to return to the palace in his sedan chair, leaving Zhou Yanqing and Si Yanmo standing there regretting the failure of their plan.
At this moment, Tan Muhe and the others who had been hiding in the back also came out. He was the one who played the tune in the back just now.
He didn't speak, but Zhong Zihe became anxious. "Why doesn't His Majesty care about the divine oracle at all? Could it be that he has seen through our scheme?"
Zhou Yanqing shook her head, "No, if he had seen through it, he would have taken the opportunity to reprimand me long ago. He is now..."
“Now, it’s more like they’re fleeing in disarray,” Si Yanmo suddenly interjected, but her words left everyone puzzled.
Zhong Zihe waved his hand, "What nonsense are you talking about? That's His Majesty. Are you going to say he was also frightened by a ghost?"
"Why not?" Si Yanmo raised her eyes, her gaze revealing sarcasm, making Zhou Yanqing realize something.
He asked, "What did you see?"
Si Yanmo remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.
She sensed something was wrong when the Southern Emperor called her Mo Wubu.
Although she met the Southern Emperor with Zhou Yanqing as a shaman, since the Southern Emperor personally arranged their marriage, she didn't need to reveal the name Mo Li to avoid having to explain. So she simply met the Emperor as Si Yanmo.
However, the Southern Emperor called her Mo Wubu.
This immediately reminded Si Yanmo of the second group of people who had troubled her for so long.
Sure enough, the moment the Southern Emperor lifted his sedan chair, she secretly calculated his fate and discovered that he was not only the second group of people who had searched for Mo Li in Nandu, but also the culprit who killed Tan Yin's family.
Because she had never met Chen Tingyu, she had only seen Tan Muhe's fate and, together with what Tan Muhe knew, they pieced together a story that Chen Tingyu, for the sake of that guqin, framed their family as evil and ominous, causing the Southern Emperor, who was always superstitious about divine pronouncements, to order the execution of their entire family.
Si Yanmo then thought that as long as she could scare Chen Tingyu and use this ritual to create a divine oracle, causing him to confess without being asked, the Southern Emperor would believe this "divine oracle" just as he had believed her nonsense in the past.
It wasn't until she had just looked at the Southern Emperor's destiny that she realized that the Southern Emperor, whom she had thought was superstitious and believed in divine pronouncements, was much more clear-headed than they were.
Tan Yin was once the Grand Commandant, in charge of the three armies. Although he was loyal, he was also feared.
The Southern Emperor had been looking for an opportunity to weaken his military power, but the other party had served as an official for five generations, each a loyal minister.
Tan Yin had also helped him seize power, so he had no reason to let his loyal minister retire to his hometown.
Chen Tingyu's ominous words gave him a new idea. He already knew that Chen Tingyu wanted the zither, so he decided to play along and use Chen Tingyu's words to kill Tan Yin's family.
Initially, he only intended to kill Tan Yin's entire family and dismiss the servants. However, Tan Yin discovered Chen Tingyu's plan and seemed to realize his desire to weaken military power, so he fled with his child.
What he feared most was not that Tan Yin would not die, but that this guy would take the opportunity to rebel after knowing his scheme, and might even use the pretext of overthrowing the tyrannical emperor.
How could he let this happen? He simply exterminated Tan Yin's entire clan, from Tan Yin's relatives to his servants and tutors, sparing no one.
Some ministers tried to persuade him, but he appeared heartbroken and said that he did not want to do this either, but the Tan Yin family had been possessed by evil spirits and might endanger the fate of the country.
Upon returning home, the minister also "suddenly fell seriously ill" and began shouting and clamoring for battle in his residence, clearly indicating that he had been possessed by evil spirits.
After his order for divination to exorcise the demon failed, he had no choice but to "reluctantly" order the burning of the demon.
With this, Tan Yin's faction was swiftly wiped out, and he could finally rest easy, unaware that he had overlooked one person...
——
After returning to Hechun Tower, the group fell into deep thought after listening to Si Yanmo's words.
Since Chen Tingyu was already a fortune teller, they couldn't do anything to each other openly. They could only use ghosts to scare him, fearing that he would realize what was happening in a few days.
Now, with the addition of the Southern Emperor... there's no one left to redress this matter.
"Is there really no other way?" Zhong Zihe asked.
Normally, he would be the first to advise everyone to give up, since so much time has passed and living is the most important thing.
But when he turned around to speak, he saw the desolation in Tan Muhe's eyes. He couldn't bear to see his beloved like this, and hoped that Si Yanmo could reveal another plan.
Si Yanmo shook her head. "We can't afford to have a direct confrontation with Chen Tingyu, let alone the Southern Emperor?"
The air fell silent again. Tan Muhe exhaled. He knew it wouldn't work. They had done their best, and he couldn't let everyone be in danger because of him.
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. The Tan family was wiped out because of the Southern Emperor's suspicion, and he could not possibly allow the Great Southern Empire to be replaced by a new Southern Emperor.
He stood up, about to say something, when Zhong Zihe suddenly slapped his thigh, as if he had thought of a good idea, "Although we can't help Uncle Tan and the others clear their names, we can still kill that bastard!"
Everyone was stunned. He continued, "Didn't Xiao Mo'er just say that the Southern Emperor could make other ministers suddenly fall ill and then kill them under the pretext of evil spirits? We can also drug Chen Tingyu! Anyway, he's already crazy, it's only a matter of time."
That's a good idea. It doesn't necessarily have to involve medication; just mentioning some ominous celestial phenomenon will suffice. Si Yanmo is quite capable in this regard.
Since the Southern Emperor was looking for her, he must have believed in her abilities. The reason he stopped her from continuing at the Emperor Ancient Temple was probably because he was afraid she would figure something out.
Just as Si Yanmo was about to speak in agreement, Tan Muhe stood up and bowed to everyone, saying, "Thank you all for your help. As for this matter... it's pointless."
He smiled bitterly. He had survived for so many years, done so many things, and risked his life to come to Nandu. Of course, it wasn't just to kill Chen Tingyu. What he wanted to do even more was to clear his parents' names.
But now, the so-called injustice is nothing more than the emperor's calculations, so... even if Chen Tingyu is killed, what difference will it make?
His parents are never coming back, and the Tan family's innocence is gone forever. So everything is meaningless, and even his life is meaningless.
He bowed deeply to the group, saying, “I will never forget your kindness and will repay you in the future. This matter is no longer worth the risk you are taking; let’s leave it at that.”
For a moment, no one knew what to say. Zhong Zihe wanted to comfort him, but he stopped him.
Those beautiful eyes were now filled with loneliness, yet she still comforted him, "It's alright, it's already a blessing for me to know you all."
Just then, a voice knocked on the door of the side room. The person coughed twice and stepped into the room. "I have a plan. I wonder if you would like to hear it?"
The person who came was as weak as ever, but his voice was steady and powerful.
Si Yanmo knew that anything he said must be absolutely certain.
She raised her eyes and said, "Brother-in-law, why don't you tell me?"
Her eyes were smiling, her attention focused on Zhou Junsong, unaware of Zhou Yanqing's lowered gaze beside her...
——
A few days later, it was New Year's Eve.
In the past, when the feudal lords from various regions had not yet arrived on New Year's Eve, the banquets in the imperial palace were usually family gatherings.
Even if Zhou Yanqing arrived early a few times, she would not be invited to participate. At most, she could see her mother on the first day of the new year.
This time, the Southern Emperor made an unprecedented move by inviting him and Si Yanmo to participate together.
"It seems that the Third Prince's plan is quite good."
Sitting in the carriage on the way to the palace, Si Yanmo seemed to be in a good mood and full of confidence, while the person next to her looked listless, like a wilted eggplant.
She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"
Zhou Yanqing shook his head. He knew those thoughts were ridiculous. Si Yanmo had stated more than once that they had no feelings for each other in their past lives, and in this life, they were even more wary of each other.
But whenever he saw their radiant expressions and tacit understanding as they plotted together, he always felt as if he were the one who had interfered.
He did not exist in that past story, and there was never any connection between them in their destinies.
The so-called fate in this life was something he stumbled upon and "begged" for. Perhaps this relationship wasn't meant for him from the beginning, but he loved Si Yanmo.
His Amo had also said that she loved him, and perhaps they could be happy together, but he couldn't help but be concerned about her past relationships with other people.
He didn't answer Si Yanmo's question, but instead held her hand tightly. "Amo, you really won't leave me, right?"
Si Yanmo knew he was overthinking things again. She snuggled closer to him, "If Your Highness is really worried, how about you keep me locked up after we get back?"
"How long can I stay locked up?"
"I'll keep you locked up until you believe I won't leave you."
The carriage curtains were blown up by the wind, and a beam of light from the lens shone on Si Yanmo's beauty mark.
The beauty mark that etched itself into his heart at their first meeting seemed to forever carry emotions, his love for her, and her promises.
Zhou Yanqing finally felt a little relieved and hugged her. "Okay, then I'll prepare a greenhouse this time and lock my little flower fairy away."
"Then you'd better prepare more, and replace them regularly, otherwise your little flower fairy won't pay attention to you anymore if the flowers wither." Si Yanmo teased him, rubbing her nose against his cheek.
He also reached out and pinched the mischievous nose, laughing, "Alright, alright, change it every day, so my little flower fairy will be happy every day."
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